Secret Admirer. Karen Rose Smith

      “You do,” he insisted. “You have some nasty cuts on your feet. Not to mention those scrapes on your face.” Anger rose to the surface when he spotted what appeared to a flamed impression of a handprint on her cheek.

      I think he has Eva... Rachel’s words haunted him, as did her fear.

      “Why do you think he took Eva?” he asked because his brain was working overtime searching for answers. “She’s going through her rumspringa, correct? Is it possible the time got away from her and she stayed with a friend?”

      Rachel didn’t let him finish. “Nay, Eva told me she would be home by ten and she wouldn’t be late. Not now.”

      “Why not?” he asked, curious about her response.

      “Because Eva has been training with Hannah Wagler to take over as the community teacher in a few weeks’ time. She loves her students and wanted to get a gut night’s rest to be prepared for them. They are very important to her. She’s missing, Noah. I know she is.” Her answer wiped away the last of his doubts. They’d need to speak with the last person who saw Eva, and soon.

      “Tell me what happened yesterday. Did anything unusual take place? What were Eva’s plans for the day?” He couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to the little girl he once knew so well.

      Rachel swallowed visibly. “Nothing unusual. Eva and I rode to church service together. It began around nine. Afterward, there was the church meal. I said goodbye to her around three. She planned to attend the youth group singing. Afterward, she was going home with her friend, Anna Lapp. She said she would walk home after spending time with Anna. Eva was excited about the following shool day and only planned to stay at Anna’s a little while.” The words trailed into a sob.

      Noah reached for her hand and held it while he digested this new information. The walk from the Lapps’ place would take Eva around half an hour, which meant Eva may have gone missing somewhere between nine fifteen and nine thirty. He checked the time on his phone. More than three hours had passed. Finding Eva quickly was imperative. The first forty-eight hours were critical in a missing persons case.

      An ambulance pulled in behind the vehicles, followed by another police cruiser. Sheriff Walker Collins had arrived on scene.

      When the sheriff approached, Noah opened his door. Walker leaned in. “I hear there’s been a bit of trouble here tonight?” He introduced himself to Rachel. “EMTs are here. Let’s get you looked at.”

      Getting out, Noah circled around to Rachel’s side and opened her door. She stared up at him with a desperate look on her face.

      He held out his hand. “Megan and Aden are doing everything they can to find this man. You need to take care of yourself for Eva.” He walked her to the ambulance and waited beside her with Walker while EMT Jake Oliver cleaned and bandaged her feet and applied antibiotic cream to the scrapes on her face. Her attacker had slapped her. Why would the man want to hurt someone as sweet as Rachel? Nothing about what happened tonight made sense.

      “You’ll have some bruising and tenderness for a few days,” Jake told her, “but none of your injuries are serious.”

      A noise behind them sent both Noah and Walker whirling. Aden and Megan headed their way.

      “Did you find my sister?” Rachel asked as soon as they were close.

      Aden shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, we didn’t.” He turned to Walker. “The perp parked at the end of the drive. Probably approached without his headlights on to not wake anyone.”

      Megan handed Rachel a pair of shoes. “I found these by the door and thought they might belong to you.”

      “Denki,” Rachel murmured and slipped her injured feet inside, wincing when she put pressure on them.

      “I’ll call in the crime scene unit to go over the house and take photos of the footprints and tire tracks. Hopefully, we can get some answers for you soon,” Walker assured Rachel.

      She clutched the blanket around her shoulders against the biting wind.

      “Let me take you to the house so you can change into something warmer,” Noah said, noticing. “Then we’ll go to the station. I want you to look through some mug books. You said you ripped the mask off the man?” She nodded. There was a slim chance she might be able to identify the man from the photos. “I know you said you didn’t get a good look at him, but maybe going through the books will help you pick him out. While you’re doing that, I’ll speak to Anna Lapp. It could be that Eva changed her mind and spent the night with her friend and I’ll find her there safe and sound.”

      “I’m going with you,” Rachel said without budging. “I want to speak with Anna.”

      “That’s not happening,” he assured her without considering it. “Until we’re sure what’s truly happening here, you need to stay out of sight. Chances are, Eva grew sleepy and decided to spend the night at Anna’s house.”

      “And what if she didn’t? What if she is out there somewhere hurt? She could have been in an accident on the way home. I’m going with you to speak with Anna. Eva’s my sister, Noah. She needs me.” She lifted her chin. The courage he’d seen in her so many times in the past returned.

      Noah faced the sheriff. “What do you think?”

      Walker considered it for a moment. “The young lady is more likely to answer your questions with Rachel there. Do it,” he agreed. “But make sure you check in with Janine when you arrive and before leaving the Lapps’ place.”

      Expelling a breath, Noah accepted Walker’s suggestion despite his misgivings. “Okay. But I want you close at all times,” he told Rachel. While he understood the benefit of having her at the Lapp interview, he still worried about keeping her safe.

      “I’ve called in Ryan and Cole. I know their shifts don’t begin for,” Walker glanced at his watch, “another six hours, but we need everyone on this.” He surveyed the desolate stretch of road. “We’ll set up some floodlights. If she’s here, we’ll find her.”

      “What if she’s not here?” Rachel’s question was directed solely at Noah, and he didn’t have an answer.

      “The best way you can help Eva now is to identify the man who attacked you.”

      He noticed her shivering still and took off his coat and placed it over her shoulders. “It’s freezing out. Let’s get you inside the cruiser where it’s warm.”

      He and Rachel headed toward his SUV along with Walker. Rachel braced against the biting wind that threatened to knock her down. The Montana weather could be brutal, and it appeared winter was setting in early in the shadow of the mountains. Though barely November, already they’d had several feet of snow.

      He clutched her arm to keep her steady. Opening the door, he waited until she slid inside.

      “Looks like the rest of the team is here.” Walker crooked a thumb behind them.

      Noah mentioned the Beacheys coming to investigate. “It’s possible they saw the man.”

      “I’ll have someone speak to them. We’ll start canvassing every square inch of the place,” Walker said. “I’ll let you know the minute we have anything.”

      “Thanks.” Noah asked Megan to ride over with them to the house so she could stand guard while Rachel changed.

      While Megan hopped in the back, Noah got in next to Rachel. She appeared in a daze. Noah prayed they would find Eva alive.

      He touched her arm. “Don’t give up hope.” She twisted in her seat. The desperation on her face made him want to gather her close. He didn’t have that right anymore. He’d broken her heart once, and he doubted she’d want his comfort now. Instead, he put the SUV in Drive and slowly turned around and eased past the slew of police vehicles.

      Driving